Referring to the widely praised, consumer-friendly car-hire firm, Roberts acknowledged in a meeting with USA TODAY's editorial board that the perception of Comcast's poor customer service lingers. But he said the company is making fresh efforts to ease the headaches.

Uber "is fantastic," he said, wielding his iPhone to demonstrate a new Comcast app that lets customers schedule an appointment and troubleshoot set-top boxes remotely. "I need to (be able) to push the button and see where my truck is. We're beginning to make our service look like Uber."

That such improvements - including the app and the company's new cloud-based set-top box - will be extended to TWC relatively quickly if and when the companies merge remains a key selling point in Roberts' attempt to combine the nation's two largest cable operators. "We want to scale it and bring it to customers next year," he said. TWC customers "don't have the same speed."

The acquisition would give Comcast access to New York and Los Angeles, key media markets that the company has coveted. Combined, Comcast and TWC occupy about 40% of the Internet service market, or about 32 million customers. They would also hold about 30% of the pay-TV market.

Roberts downplayed critics' concern that the combined company would exert financial pressure on TV networks and stations, video streamers and other suppliers, or that it would extend preferential treatment to favored content.

Given the growing popularity of mobile devices and streaming, Comcast's primary interest, Roberts said, is to expand its broadband Internet business, not thwart it.

There's a growing pressure in the industry to introduce a la carte structure for pay-TV subscribers in which consumers would be able to buy only the channels they want. Roberts deflected the notion, but said Comcast is working on providing more pay-TV subscription tiers. "We have been negotiating the right to create more flexibility around that," he said.

While Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-Verse and others compete with Comcast in some markets, a large portion of the merged company's customers would have only a satellite-based Internet operator as an option. That's a prospect that concerns consumer advocates, who seek affordable pricing for a service that's becoming increasingly essential.

But Roberts stressed that the deal wouldn't limit competition, pointing out that the two companies have no overlapping service areas.

When Comcast bought a majority stake in NBC Universal in 2011, it agreed to several FCC mandates that last seven years. They include broadening Internet access to low-income households and not discriminating against third-parties that seek access to Comcast's distribution channels. Comcast says it'll extend these concessions to TWC.

The company's critics, including Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., say the cable behemoth has a history of breaching its obligations, including the NBC Universal-related concessions, a charge Roberts rejects.

The CEO reiterated his support for the principles of the open Internet (often referred to as net neutrality), under which all content providers receive equal treatment. But when asked directly if he would extend the NBC concessions when they expire in 2018, he declined to make such a commitment. He said he supports the FCC's efforts to draft new open Internet rules (the commission's previous rules were struck down by a court earlier this year).